Birthday Wine – 2005 Burrell School Valedictorian

We celebrated Nancy’s birthday last night. Our wine friend Dave and our house sitter friend Mike came by and I made a quick version of a Cassoulet for dinner. I always get Cassoulet and Cassowary confused but I guess one is a stew and one is a bird. Dave brought a 2005 Burrell School Valedictorian, a wine from the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is a blend of 49% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. This is a big wine, big nose of fruit and spice with some smoke. Plenty of flavor with dark fruit, boysenberries, some tartness too, along with cedar and smoke. The tannins were wonderfully smooth and really complemented the flavor and body of the wine.

This wine is very nice and fit the occasion perfectly. It also paired really well with the Cassoulet. I highly recommend the 2005 Burrell School Valedictorian.